When my husband travels, it’s hard on the entire family. Although I usually enjoy the first day or two of easy dinners and a pile of magazines as my bed
companion, the novelty wears off, and we all want daddy back. He used to travel a lot!! I remember having a newborn, and my husband was out of the country for 3 weeks. I felt physically exhausted and assumed he should return refreshed from his “time away”. I acted like his business travel was a mini vacation. I could not have been further from the truth.
When he would return home, he would cling to me. The look in his eyes said it all. The travel schedule was rushed. The hotel room was lonely. The airplanes delayed. The meals quiet. His heart longing for the chaos of our home and warmth of our love. It was at this point, I made an intentional decision to start sending a little of that warmth with him. Here are a few ideas and ways to make your husband remember he’s loved on the road.
- Get him a voice activated Alarm Clock – Record a sweet message that he will hear when he wakes up. “Good morning sweetheart. Time to wake up. Have a great day!” My kids would record messages “I love you daddy”. Could you imagine a better way to wake up in a lonely hotel room?
- Text him pictures of you and the children at fun activities. We were at a Fall festival in this picture and took 5 minutes to write daddy a note and text it to him. He loved knowing that even admist cotton candy and music, we were thinking of him.
- When he calls, DON’T COMPLAIN! I’m not suggesting to pretend everything is perfect, but you can discuss things without whining, nagging, or feeling entitled to a different set of circumstances. If you need to vent when he’s away, call a girlfriend, write in a journal, pray, go for a run.
- Call the hotel and order him room service (even just a beer is fun).
- Make him laugh… or cry- Hide ridiculous things in his shoes or dobskit. Be funny. Make him miss you. Humor is extremely underrated. You can also write encouraging notes, the ones that communicate your respect and appreciation for him. My son has even hidden his very special lovely in the suitcase – if that doesn’t say ‘i love you’, nothing will.
- Enter ‘reminders’ or ‘alerts’ into his phone that will pop up throughout his trip.
- Comfort food – Stick in some of his favorite power bars or his favorite candy. You can even wrap them for an element of surprise.
- Hide a pair of your panties between his boxers – No judgement..
- Download a romantic but cool song or playlist onto his phone. Halfway through the trip, tell him about it.
- Facetime or Skype – Technology has made eye to eye contact possible. Little kids can actually believe they were with daddy….and I, sometimes just need to see my man.
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Thanks for the ideas & the reminder not to WHINE… way to guilty 🙂
Love this!
This will definitely put a fun & positive outlook for all of us when he is on travel.
This is awesome, me and my husband are both active duty soldiers and have been stationed in separate places for a year and possibly another year to go. Distance is killer but there are tons of ways to make it easier…especially random pictures in the middle of the day. The little things go a longggg way…trust me 🙂
We have a tradition of making a welcome home sign every time Dad returns from a trip and everyone helps design it and adds their own special touch which they are sure to tell Dad about. Before we had kids, I would often hide a stack of love notes in his suitcase – one for each day we’d be apart. He still has some of those notes from almost 20 years ago!
Super cute ideas!
another good article – thanks for your posts – this one touches home as well – as our dad is gone again on a long trip and this give me some new ideas – thanks again
I think I’ll try some of these! My husband doesn’t travel- but works 12 hour midnight shifts- can feel like he’s never home. When we’re living our daily lives- he’s sleeping- and vice versa. He often feels “left out”:( these tips could go a long way to bridging the gap!
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My boyfriend and I have just started dating, but he travels to the other coast about 1/3 of the year. He’s gone now and I’ve issued a “daily photo challenge.” We both participate and send each other a photo for whatever challenge I’ve come up with for the day. Day 1 was “something around you right now that makes you smile.” Day 3 was “something that you’ve accomplished today.” Other days include “something you’ve never noticed before,” “something that is your favorite color,” and “your workspace.” These are helping me because I get to see what his life is like when he’s there, and they add a little fun. We aren’t simply saying “I miss you; wish you were here.”
What an adorable idea! I am going to try it.
wow what a splendid idea.How is it done ?Can you teach me how to do it please.will like to do it for my fiance.
Start with your fiance. What is his love language? What makes him feel loved? If it’s words of encouragement, then send some texts or video messages. If it’s Quality Time together, then set up an online FaceTime date while he’s gone. Maybe he responds best when you’ve taken the time to hide a few little gifts in his suitcase. The fun part is experimenting and figuring out what is most effective with his personality. Have fun!
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These were great ideas and very helpful.